Dufry unveils "unique" Basel store

John Rimmer

Print Article E-Mail Article E-Mail Author

The company has hailed its new walk-through store at Basel-Mulhouse airport as "a unique example of partnership between airport authority and operator"

Dufry Group has unveiled its new walk-through store at Basel-Mulhouse International airport. The 800sq m (8,610sq ft) outlet began trading on March 31 and is complemented by a 200sq m (2,150sq ft) fashion area, which opened on May 6.
 
At a press launch held on June 1, Dufry CEO Julián Díaz hailed the development as "a unique example of partnership between airport authority and operator". "We are very proud to have been at Basel airport since 1969, and today is the biggest opportunity we have had here during that time. The quality of space and passenger means we have a responsibility to achieve a high level of retailing. We now offer nearly 5,000 skus compared with 3,853 last year. Our offer here can be compared to any store in London, Paris or Milan. We expect to complete 420,000 transactions this year compared with 233,620 last year."
 
Díaz described the walk-through concept as "the most modern retailing technique in travel-retail". "My opinion is that you will see this everywhere from now on."
 
Díaz revealed that since the opening of the new store at Basel sales of fragrances and cosmetics had increased by 132% compared with last year. Sales of liquor and confectionery are up by 50%, while turnover from the watches category is up four-fold. Dufry's watch offer in Basel includes a number of big names, such as local brand Zeno-Watch Basel, Gucci, TAG Heuer, and Raymond Weil. To date, Breitling is the biggest-selling brand in the new store, which Dufry said reflected the considerable purchasing power of travellers at Basel.
 
Díaz said that the retailer expected fragrances and cosmetics to account for 40% of sales in Basel this year, followed by tobacco at 23%, food and confectionery at 14%, liquor at 11%, fashion at 7% and watches at 4%. "Within two years, 70% of our sales at Basel could come from the beauty and fashion categories, owing to the quality of passengers and retailing," said Díaz. "For Dufry to be present in Basel-Mulhouse is crucial as we bid to become number one worldwide. Basel-Mulhouse is a shop window for the new Dufry."
 
Díaz told RavenFox.com that Dufry's vision of partnership between landlord and retailer required a thorough understanding of the consumer before defining the most appropriate approach. "Partnership is a way of doing things," he said. "The situation in Basel is that things happen; it's not just talk. Here partnership means understanding customer requirements, their nationalities and price sensitivities, all to produce the most appropriate response. Basel is a good example of how we define partnership."
 
Dufry's store includes a vastly-expanded beauty area covering 208sq m (2,240sq ft). The liquor area features a wide selection of single malt Scotch whiskies, which has prompted a 65% increase in malt whisky sales. The cigar selection includes 360 references, while single-price concept Bijoux Terner is also present.
 
Beyond the walk-through store, the new fashion area includes corners from Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, Lacoste and Kipling plus a sunglasses area featuring several brands. Dufry plans to add a selection of accessories from Salvatore Ferragamo in mid-June.
 
Basel-Mulhouse airport has become a hub for low-cost airline Easyjet. Last year the airport welcomed 3.3m passengers, but airport authority EuroAirport is confident that traffic will exceed 4m this year.